Things We Should See More of in Wrestling: Random Title Matches

[Thriller Ant]

This is the first part of what will hopefully be a nice series of threads I have planned out to go here about different concepts we should see more of in wrestling today.

The first entry is random title matches. This idea used to be pretty common in WCW, especially with the TV and Cruiserweight Titles, and one of my favorite matches of all time, Jeff Hardy vs. the Undertaker for the Undisputed Title in a Ladder Match, was a semi-random title match.

The big question here is why do I say we need them. Lately, most main event matches on TV, especially in WWE, have been some kind of tag team match and/or end in a DQ or no contest. This makes sense in order to further feuds without having either guy lose cleanly, but these results often leave the fans unsatisfied. Waiting until the match at the PPV makes the match feel that much more special and eliminates the need for these types of matches.

Random title matches can also give the champ credibility. Look at Sheamus' reign. After he won, everyone was shocked and wasn't sure if he was ready. How did WWE respond? By barely having him on TV and relying on sneak attacks. I'm pretty sure that if he had been having random title matches against guys like Evan Bourne, Carlito, Primo, etc. like he has recently from the beginning, it would be much easier for him to be viewed as a dominant champion instead of a guy who got lucky with a table stipulation and a DQ.

So what do you guys think about random title matches? Yay or nay?

 

[Via Armbar]

Sure random title matches would be fun, but I don't think it's going to add any credibility to the title if your having the champion defend against guys like Carlito or Evan Bourne. And if people are randomly getting title shots doesn't it make the title look like something that's easier to obtain? It does and therefor the title actually loses credibility when you have life long midcarders getting a shot at it. If you have guys who are formers champs and already in the title picture then your possibly giving away your main event for a payperview. Then your going to have to rely on gimmick matches for every title match on payperview since the match has already happened on free tv. Not to mention the title will lose it's big time feeling if it's being defended too often.

It would work alot better for the midcard titles. They aren't nearly as hard to get a shot at and you have far more wrestlers who are credible midcarders then legit main eventers. Having the US or Intercontinental champions defend their titles successfully on free television helps build character for the champion. And seeing they are still in the midcard, that's something they need. People need to see midcarders look credible in order for people to see them as future maineventers, so it would be best to use your television time to build them on a weekly basis.

So it's a mixed bag. It makes for captivating television, but you have to be really careful as to not give away something people could be paying for later. The midcard titles aren't usually the ones selling the bulk of the shows, so use free tv time to strengthen those titles and their respective holders with random defenses. The world titles need to keep their prestige alot more than the other titles and having it defended too often not only burns out fueds but makes the title look easily obtainable. Not something you want to sell your shows with.

 

[Agent_of_Anarchy]

Championships are there to be defended. Thats the way I see it. A belt doesn't earn prestige from only being defended at PPVs in plain and simple one on one matches but rather its the CHAMPION that gives the belt prestige. And the way that a champion does that is by defending the belt whenever and wherever, rather than always holding out for the big pay per view event of the month. If WWE had a few World title changes on T.V they might not have to resort to having celebrity guest hosts and bullshit like that. WWE t.v lacks the unpredeictable nature that made wrestling so successfull during the Attitude days. This is something that I can see TNA doing in the not too distant future.

Another point is that without seeing competitive, compelling wrestling on T.V then why would I pay $30 (Australian) to watch it? Smackdown has some really good matches, as does Impact, but Raw very rarely has any compelling wrestling and in it's place is a bunch of shithouse comedy segments. Shamus should of won the WWE title on Raw and not a PPV, it would have made more sense. They could have actually build to a proper Shamus vs Cena match that didn't end in a fucking DQ and it might have actually been entertaining. Last week we saw the Tag team titles change hands on Raw, which I will admit was a pretty decent match, but I think most people realised that DX weren't leaving as champs. The current storylines no longer fitted with them being tag champs, so it was failry obvious that new champions would be crowned. But had that match had no build up at all and had been a purly random thing then it would have actually been an exciting match.

Random title matches (and title changes) make for far more exciting t.v, which as a wrestling fan, is exactly what I want to see. Unless things got out hand and the random title matches became to predictable, I just can't see how this could be bad.

 

[Thriller Ant]

They are already using it in the midcard, Armbar, to the point where there really aren't midcard title feuds anymore, just random matches. I agree that title defenses against Carlito and Bourne won't bring a ton of credibility, but what looks better from week to week:

a. The champion comes out to cut a promo, and later randomly attacks a future opponent after a match.

b. The champion cuts a promo, then gets a solid victory over a lower-card guy while his future opponent struggles to a victory against another main eventer / upper midcarder.

The second sounds better, no? The champ gets victories and looks strong. I'm not saying totally ditch the DQs and tag matches because they can be useful, but mixing up the booking once in a while would keep things fresh.

 

[Via Armbar]

They are already using it in the midcard, Armbar, to the point where there really aren't midcard title feuds anymore, just random matches. I agree that title defenses against Carlito and Bourne won't bring a ton of credibility, but what looks better from week to week:

a. The champion comes out to cut a promo, and later randomly attacks a future opponent after a match.

b. The champion cuts a promo, then gets a solid victory over a lower-card guy while his future opponent struggles to a victory against another main eventer / upper midcarder.

The second sounds better, no? The champ gets victories and looks strong. I'm not saying totally ditch the DQs and tag matches because they can be useful, but mixing up the booking once in a while would keep things fresh.

I heard what you're saying about the nonexistence of midcard fueds, but it has nothing to do with the midcard title being defended. Creative books the same main eventers in fueds with each other for months at a time. Rarely do they do this with the US or Intercontinental champions. Not sure why they do not do that with those titles and only the top ones, but they do. And having more random title matches for any title won't help. If anything having random title defenses is what's keeping those champions from having longer meanigful fueds, always having random midcarders fighting for a title without one long trm wrestler gunning for it for months. When someone fights for something for a long enough period of time, it makes whatever they're fighting for look important.

And neither option A or option B is better than the other. Does the WWE champion look more credible squashing a midcard guy then if he didn't waste his time on one and just cut a promo. ? Either way he hasn't gained anything. I'm not saying I'm in full support of creative and how they book their champions. They could always book squash matches against midcarders for the champ, it's been done for decades. But we're talking about those random midcarders getting title shots. Totally different.

 

[CH David]

I'm liking this thread idea Thriller. Although I will tweak it a little bit for my answer. I don't know so much about a random title match. I mean, a Sheamus vs. Evan Bourne squash isn't very appealing. Maybe a match between Sheamus and HBK or something showing that Sheamus can work, but because it is HBK, he had to step it up huge or something. I just think it all depends on the opponent and the champion. We could go to Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk on Smackdown, (hypothetically) and they could go out and put on another great match like they have put on. But someone like JTG vs. Jericho probably wouldn't appeal very well. Like I said, all depends on the challenger and champion.

Now, where I would tweak this a little bit, and you using Undertaker vs. Jeff Hardy in your first post helps with this a bit. Maybe not just random title matches, but small random feuds while bigger feuds are going on. When Undertaker and Jeff were going at it, he was also mixed in with The Rock and Kurt Angle during that time frame. So what I think could possibly be better, is that when there is a drawn out feud that is meant to last a while, maybe try a small feud on the side. I mean, not every feud has to be the feud for that spot on the card does it? Just a thought.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Random title matches can be fun every now since they are a decent way for someone to get exposure in the main event, and a random title match can be a way to test the waters for a potential feud later down the line also.... but I don't think we need them because they take time away from longterm feuds. The way I see it is that if someone is meant to become a main eventer, it will eventually happen. They don't need a random title match to do so. The random matches don't add anywhere near as much prestige to a belt as a meangingful feud would. If the argument of "all title defenses raise the prestige of a belt" is used, then my answer to that argument is this.... A champion facing a jobber or a nobody doesn't add any prestige whatsoever, so there goes that theory. While I agree that random title matches give the champion more credibility, retaining against a true contender during a decent feud adds far more credibility. If we're talking about building up a champion as dominant before a PPV, then have him squash some midcarders if he's a world champion, or jobbers if he's a midcard champion.... the contender can be doing something similar. That way there's no random title matches, you still get the decent feud, and a great title defense at the PPV. What it all comes down to is that random title matches can be cool, but we really don't need them because there are better ways to add prestige to a belt or to make a champion and contender look more credible.

 

[Tastycles]

For some reason, as soon as I saw this thread I was reminded of a match between The Rock and Road Dogg for the WWF Title in early 1999. That's obviously a fucking weird match, but it was quite fun at the time. I don't think it's wise or helpul for PPV feuds to have the top champion face someone else these days as it would be too much of a foregone conclusion, but this is definitely something that could happen with the smaller titles. I still think that Gregory Helms' initial run as the Cruiserweight Champion where he defended every week was a good idea, and I'd like to see a similar concept presented for one of the lower card titles now.

That being said, it would be nice if every now and then there was a minor feud that was concurrent to the major feud with the title. The Jeff Hardy and Road Dogg title shots were part of small storylines and worked reasonabl well. Something like Miz's debut on Raw last year would have been good, but with him facing Cena for the title at some point too.

 

[wbuqed]

random title matches on free tv can be a good idea cause it's a great starter for a feud, maybe the win by the champ or challenger is dirty and builds up to a PPV. The one thing I got sick of that the WWE insisted on throwing in our faces was Kofi defending i believe it was the US title in many multiple-challenger matches that were straight to PPV. It seemed pretty transparent that vince used these matches as filler along with diva matches because mid card feuds over the last year or so are few and far in between. But I'm reminded of 1998 when the rock was in a triple threat vs xpac and HHH now that was a great match on two ends, number 1- it continued the nation/DX feud and number 2- it was great foundation for a potential DX split and a minifeud going there.